Negeri Sembilan FC

Negeri Sembilan previously used the crest of the Negeri Sembilan Football Association (PBNS). After being privatised in 2020, the Negeri Sembilan FC team started using the new crest after PBNS organised a competition to create a logo for Negeri Sembilan FC. The competition was won by the logo designed by Azral Ramlay, which has been used by the team since 2020.[9]

Rice Stalks: The main crest displays nine white rice stalks tied with red rope into one in the middle, symbolising the nine states in the old Negeri Sembilan: [10] Jelai, Jelebu, Johol, Kelang (now part of Selangor), Naning (now part of Malacca), Rembau, Segamat-Pasir Besar, Sungei Ujong, and Ulu Pahang. This logo also maintains the use of rice stalks as in the logo of the Negeri Sembilan Football Association (PBNS), which was established in 1923, but improvises by tying all the rice stalks into a symbol of unity.

Circle: The basic shape, which is a golden yellow circle in the royal color, symbolises the strong unity between the team, players, supporters, and the people of Negeri Sembilan who are together within the Negeri Sembilan Traditional Land under the auspices of D.Y.M.M. Yang Di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus.

Escutcheon: The escutcheon of the arms is depicted as an Old French shield outlined in black. The three basic colours of Negeri Sembilan on the shield symbolise all the people, players, and supporters coming together to protect and defend their beloved team from being damaged by the enemy, along with the lyrics of the Negeri Sembilan song, "Musuhnya Habis Binasa" (English: "His enemies perished").

Yellow, black and red: Negeri Sembilan uses three colours from the state flag of Negeri Sembilan as its official colours. The colours have been used on the crest and team kits since its establishment. Based on the flag, the yellow represents the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, the black symbolises the four undangs (traditional chiefs), and the red denotes the citizens of the state. However, in the context of the football team, these three colours have their own meaning: yellow represents the team, black symbolises the players, and red denotes the supporters. [11]

Kits: Mostly, the team uses yellow as the dominant colour for the home kit with the addition of some red and black colors, while for the away kit, the dominant colour is red with the addition of some yellow and black colors. Sometimes the team reverses red as the home kit colour and yellow as the away kit colour; this depends on the agreement between the team and the kit manufacturer as well as the conditions of the competing league's management. As for the team's third kit, there are several dominant colour variations, such as white, blue, and black.

The club was established in 1923, according to a passage in the football history books of Malaysia based on an interview with Austin Senevirathe, who was 93 years old when interviewed.[12] He stated that the Malaya Cup match between Negeri Sembilan and Singapore took place in that particular year.[12]

In 1927, PBNS started organising league matches. Among the trophies that were up for grabs at that time were the Annex Shield, the British Resident's Cup, and the Hose Cup. The earliest football clubs that existed and competed in the league were Negri Sembilan Chinese "A," Negri Sembilan Club, Port Dickson Recreation Club, Sungei Ujong Club, Negri Sembilan Chinese "B," and St. Paul's Old Boys Association.[13]

The club is considered one of the top competing teams in the history of football since its establishment. They have won many top competitions in Malaysia, starting in the early 1940s.

In 1948, they won the first HMS Malaya Cup,[14] led by skipper Kwan Soon Teck .[15] One of their legendary defenders is B. Rajinikandh, a regular defender and captain for the Malaysia National Squad. Negeri Sembilan won 2-1 in the match at Selangor Club Padang.[16][17][18]

In 1982, Tan Sri Dato' Seri Utama Mohd Isa bin Dato' Haji Abdul Samad was appointed president of the Negeri Sembilan Football Association (PBNS) as well as the Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan.

The year 1991 was the year of the revival of the Negeri Sembilan team, which in previous years had been an underdog. That was also the last year the Negeri Sembilan team used the Majlis Perbandaran Seremban Stadium before the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium in Paroi was used as their home ground until now. On August 18, 1991, the team met Sarawak in the final match of the Division 2 League at the Majlis Perbandaran Seremban Stadium. Negeri Sembilan, who was in first place at the time, only needed a draw while Sarawak, who was in second place, needed a win to get the top spot in the league table. The match of that day went to Negeri Sembilan with a result of 2-2, and they managed to collect one point. It was the last year that led to the success of winning the Semi-Pro League Division 2, then qualifying for Division 1 in 1992. Among the star players at that time were the import trio, the Bozik Brothers (Miroslav and Robert), and the powerful striker Marian Vazquez. Local players include Richard Scully, Mansor Sulaiman, and Nazari Hussein.[19]

In 1992, the construction of Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium was completed and inaugurated to be used as a multipurpose stadium. The stadium initially held a capacity of 20,000 people, and since then, the Negeri Sembilan team has officially made the stadium their home ground for the Liga Semi-Pro Divisyen 1 tournament in that year.[20]

In the 1996 season, Negeri Sembilan became one of the contenders for the league title. Even though it was not given much attention at first, the team starring two former import players from Argentina, Pahang FA's Gus Cerro and Jose Iriarte, surprised many when they gave great competition to other selected teams such as Selangor, Sabah, Sarawak, Kedah, Pahang, and Brunei. Othman Katmon, Faizal Zainal, Khairil Zainal, Rosli Omar, B. Rajinikandh (now converted to Islam), A. Ganeson, V. Arumugham, Idris Kadir, Azmi Mohamed, and Ching Hong Aik (only a few mentions) have put up a good fight, giving great hope to their loyal supporters. However, this squad failed to maintain the momentum when it was finally overtaken by Sabah FA, who emerged as the Premier League champion, as well as Kedah FA, who became the runner-up.[21]

On May 31, 2003, Negeri Sembilan met Perlis in the FA Cup final. Played at Perak Stadium, the club was surprised by the opponent's early goal in the 11th minute. The club managed to close the gap in the 56th minute thanks to a goal by Effendi Malek. The game remained 1-1 until the 90th minute, and in extra time, victory was decided on a golden goal. In the 95th minute, the club managed to get the golden goal as a result of Everson Martinelli's goal, and the club was crowned FA Cup champion in 2003.[22]

Negeri Sembilan made its first appearance in the AFC Cup competition in the 2004 season. The club made its debut in the first match against Island FC with a big 6-0 win on February 10, 2004. However, the club had to settle for being 3rd in the group after losing all the group stage matches against Geylang United, East Bengal, and Island FC. All teams played at home and away for a total of six games.[23]

In March 2004, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan was appointed as the president of the Negeri Sembilan Football Association (PBNS). It's because he successfully held the position as the 10th Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan and replaced Isa Samad, who held that position the previous year. Mohamad Hasan was the first Menteri Besar who had ever been a local football player and then became the president of PBNS. He never represented the first team of Negeri Sembilan but played a lot with clubs in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.[24] He was banned from football for life after receiving a red card when NS Malays played against NS Indians in 1977. He was active in football in the 1970s.[25]

In the 2006 season, the team won the Malaysia Super League by finishing first out of eight clubs that competed. The newly promoted team from the Malaysian Premier League in the 2005 season managed to become the league champion in their first appearance since the Super League was introduced in 2004.[26]

On November 7, 2009, the team ended their 61-year drought in the Malaysia Cup after posting a convincing 3–1 victory over Kelantan in the final at the National Stadium, Bukit Jalil. The team also won all the matches in the Malaysia Cup tournament, starting from the group stage until the final. That final match was a fantastic night.[27]

The repeat final of 2009 between the club and Kelantan happened again on October 30, 2010. However, this time, the club lost 1–2 to Kelantan despite having taken an early lead through a penalty by Shahurain Abu Samah.[28]

On April 10, 2010, Negeri Sembilan needed the luck of the penalty shootout to win the FA Cup championship again by beating Kedah 5-4 in the final of the 21st edition at the National Stadium, Bukit Jalil. This continues to confirm them as the new powerhouse of national football after winning the Malaysia Cup last season. Both teams were tied at 1-1 after the end of the 90 minutes of the actual game, even after the referee, R. Krishnan, dragged it into extra time in front of about 70,000 spectators, the majority of whom were "Hijau Kuning" supporters.[29]

In 2011, the club again qualified for the Malaysia Cup Final for the third time in a row, this time with their new coach, Mohd Azraai Khor Abdullah. They won the trophy after defeating Terengganu FA with an epic comeback. The first goal was scored by Mohd Ashaari Shamsuddin for Terengganu in the 59th minute. PBNS used the last 10 minutes of the game to make a comeback. S. Kunanlan equalised the score in the 81st minute before Hairuddin Omar, the veteran striker, hit the winning goal for PBNS with a beautiful volley in the 85th minute.[30]

In the early part of the 2011 season, one of the team's all-time best coaches, Wan Jamak Wan Hassan, resigned from the club. He sees no excuses for the team's disappointing run in the Malaysia Super League and Malaysia FA Cup competitions for that season.[31]

Throughout the years 2003–2011, there was a "golden generation" for the Negeri Sembilan team because, throughout the year, the team achieved a lot of success in competitions at the domestic level. Starting with winning the FA Cup in 2003, the team managed to win the Super League in 2006. The most proud performance was when Negeri Sembilan successfully made it through the Malaysia Cup final stage three years in a row from 2009–2011. The team won two finals in 2009 and 2011, and in 2010, the team became runners-up when they had to accept a defeat, but they managed to win the FA Cup in the same year (2010). In addition, this golden era also saw the emergence of several big names who were with the Negeri Sembilan team in the Malaysian football scene, including Ching Hong Aik,[32] Shukor Adan,[33] Norhafiz Zamani,[34] Khairul Anuar Baharom,[35] Bekamenga Bekamengo,[36] Sani Anuar,[37] Rezal Zambery,[38] Zaquan Adha,[39] Aidil Zafuan,[40] Farizal Marlias,[41] S. Kunanlan[42] and Shahurain.[43][44]

On December 6, 2014, the president of the Negeri Sembilan Football Association announced that the Negeri Sembilan team would be known as the Negeri Sembilan Matrix from the 2015 season. This has become the beginning of the process of privatising the Negeri Sembilan.[45]

On June 7, 2018, the Negeri Sembilan Football Association (PBNS) lost an experienced figure when Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan resigned as president of the association. Also followed Mohamad's footsteps were two vice presidents, Datuk Mohamad Haslah Mohd Amin, who was also the PBNS Chief Finance Officer and manager of the Negeri Sembilan Super League team, and lastly, Datuk Abd Ghani Hasan .[46]

On September 10, 2018, Tunku Besar of Tampin, Tunku Syed Razman Tunku Syed Idrus Al-Qadri, was elected as the new President of the Negeri Sembilan Football Association (PBNS) for the period of 2018–2021 after winning unopposed at the 86th PBNS Congress, held at Klana Resort.[47]

Until 2020, the team competes within the capacity of the Football Association (FA). However, the team has finally succeeded in being privatised in the football club privatisation campaign by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) in September 2020 and has been performing as a "football club" (FC) since the 2021 season.[5]

• Division 1 / Premier 1 / Super League
  • Winners (1): 2006
  • Runner-up (1): 2008
• Division 2 / Premier 2 / Premier League
  • Winners (2): 1991, 2021
  • Runner-up (1): 2005
• Division 3 / FAM League / Piala FAM
  • Runner-up (1): 1956

• President's Cup
  • Winners (2): 2001, 2002
  • Runner-up (1): 1993

• Malaysia Cup
  • Winners (3): 1948, 2009, 2011
  • Runner-up (3): 2000, 2006, 2010
• FA Cup
  • Winners (2): 2003, 2010
• Charity Cup
  • Winners (1): 2012
  • Runner-up (2): 2004, 2010
• Federal Territory Minister Cup
  • Winners (1): 2022[48]

• AFC Cup

Group Stage: 2004, 2007

Withdrew: 2010

As of 27 January 2023[53]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  MAS Tauffiq Ar Rasyid Johar 2 DF  MAS Che Rashid Che Halim (on loan from Johor Darul Ta'zim) 3 DF  MAS Tommy Mawat Bada 4 DF  MAS Farid Nezal 5 DF  MAS Annas Rahmat 6 DF  MAS Aroon Kumar 7 FW  MAS Sean Selvaraj 8 FW  MAS Zaquan Adha (captain) 11 FW  BRA Matheus Alves 12 MF  MAS Barathkumar Ramaloo 13 DF  MAS Zainal Abidin Jamil 15 DF  MAS Hariz Kamarudin 16 MF  MAS Selvan Anbualagan 17 DF  MAS Nasrullah Haniff 18 MF  MAS Mahali Jasuli 19 FW  MAS Javabilaarivin Nyanasegar 21 GK  MAS T. Shaheeswaran

No. Pos. Nation Player 23 GK  MAS Sikh Izhan Nazrel (on loan from Selangor) 24 MF  MAS Saiful Ridzuwan 27 MF  MAS Fahmi Faizal 30 DF  MAS Zamri Pin Ramli 31 GK  MAS Firdaus Irman 32 FW  MAS Shahrel Fikri 33 MF  MAS Hafiz Ramdan 35 MF  MAS Hasbullah Abu Bakar 44 MF  MAS Afiq Fitri 72 DF  MAS Zulkhairi Zulkeply 88 MF  MAS Izzuddin Roslan 97 DF  MAS Filemon Anyie — GK  MAS Muhaimin Mohamad — DF  FRA Herold Goulon — FW  MAS Amirul Hakimi Rosli — FW  CHA Ezechiel N'Douassel

Currently plays in the Youth Cup tournament.

No.	Name	Nationality	Position	D.O.B
Goalkeepers
1	Muhammad Farhan Nordin		GK	2002
20	Muhammad Firdaus Mohd Kamal		GK	2001
22	Mohammad Irfan Haikal		GK	2001
23	Muhammad Ilhanz Azhar		GK	2002
Defenders
3	Faez Hakimie Mohd Afudzal		RB/RWB	2001
4	Muhammad Halief Hazriel Mohd Harif		CB	2002
12	Muhammad Naiman Md Rosdi		CB	2002
15	Adam Afiz Zairul Azizi		CB	2001
16	Amzar Haziq Johan Irwan		RB/RWB	2002
17	Muhammad Haziq Amsyar Zainudin		LB / LWB	2002
19	Akmal Haziq Abdul Rauf		CB	2002
24	Muhammad Arif Danial Mohd Zawawi		LB / LWB	2001
Midfielders
2	Sugan a/l Murugasen		CM	2002
5	Muhammad Haziq Kamarulzaman		RW / RM	2001
6	Muhammad Haziq Mokhtar		CM	2002
8	Ahmad Umar Haziq Abdul Wahab		CM	2001
10	Luqmanul Hakim Khairul Akmal		LW / LM	2002
11	Muhammad Shahril Suparman		AM / CM	2001
13	Hafiz Ikhwan Hazley		RW / RM	2002
18	Muhammad Afiq Fitri Mohd Jefry		CM	2002
25	Thiban Raj a/l Bathumalai		DM / CM	2002
26	Muhammad Iman Kasim		AM / RW /LW	2002
Forwards
7	Muhammad Zaidi Abdul Hamid		ST	2001
9	Amir Hafiz Iskandar Zulkarnain		ST	2002
14	Amirul Hakimi Rosli		ST	2002

Source:[54]

As of 1 February 2023

Position	Name
President	YTM Tunku Syed Razman Bin Tunku Syed 'Idrus al-Qadri
Deputy president	YB Dato' Dr. Razali Bin Ab Malik
Vice presidents	YB Dato' Hj. Mohamad Taufek Bin Abd Ghani
	YBHG Dato' Masri Bin Razali
	Saaran Nadarajah
Honorary secretary	Tuan Haji Abdul Malek Haji Hassan
Executive secretary	Muhammad Faliq Bin Firdaus Muhammad Rom
Treasurer	Michael Ong Teik Loon
Executive committee members	Tuan Hj. Hamdan Bin Hj. Othman
	Kalidasan a/l Sinuam@Sinniah
	Jamsari Bin Mohamad
	Kamarudin Bin Ibrahim
	Tuan Hj. Bachik Bin Osman
	Lai Hein Sip
	Dana Palan a/l V.K. Karuniam
	Tuan Hj. Azmi Bin Hj. Selamat

Source:

As of 1 February 2023

Position	Staff
Chief executive officer	Satwant Singh
Technical director	Ishak Kunju Mohamad
Manager	Devan E. Kuppusamy
Head coach
Assistant head coach	Nantha Kumar Kalliappan
Assistant coach	Ahmad Osman
Goalkeeping coach	Megat Amir Faisal
Fitness coach	Nor Ikhmar Madarsa
Team doctor	Dr. Rozaiman Ebrahim
	Dr. Mohd Iman Effendy Mukhatar
Physiotherapist	Fakhrusy Syakirin Bin Yaacob
Sports therapist	Mohd Khalid bin Mohamed Sain
Team admin	Muhammad Adib Fikri Lukman
Team security	Anuar Abd Rahman
Team media	Muhammad Suffi Zharith Sahar
Team analyst	Muhammad Aiman Danial Mat Aris
Masseur	Zahari Mazlan
Kitman	Muhamad Firdaus Kamaruzli
	Sharizal Mat Shah

Source:[56]